Play Spacewar! on the DEC PDP-1 emulated in your browser

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The combination of HTML5 and JavaScript has opened up web browsers to gaming without the need for Adobe’s Flash plug-in. And due to the power of the machines we now use, coupled with each browser’s optimized JavaScript engine, it’s possible to emulate older systems very well.

The first known digital video game is called Spacewar!, which was developed and released for the DEC PDP-1 back in 1962. The game was two-player and required each player to control a ship that is being pulled towards a star in the center of the screen. The aim is to avoid the star for as long as possible while trying to destroy the other ship. The only other feature at your disposal is the ability to use hyperspace, which teleports your ship to a random location. Use it too often though, and your ship could explode.

Getting your hands on a PDP-1 to play the original game isn’t really viable. Only three are known to exist and they are all housed in the Computer History Museum. But fear not, Spacewar! classes as public domain and N. Landsteiner has created a virtual DEC PDP-1 that runs in a browser. Using that emulator he is able to run the original Spacewar! code allowing anyone to play.

You can find the link to the game below along with the original PDP-1 emulator it is based upon produced by Barry Silverman, Brian Silverman, and Vadim Gerasimov. Both are true to the original gameplay, but Landsteiner’s 2012 version definitely has better visuals.